Birth stories can be funny, relatable, emotional, empowering, and reinforce the resilience of moms and the love we have for our kids. They’re shared with our friends and loved ones, the kids who “star” in the story, and occasionally random pregnant people in person and on the internet. Sometimes though, they're shocking, scary, and frankly … unbelievable.
On October 24, 2022, Krystina Pacheco’s birth story began with a routine C-section. Two days later, the 29-year-old, her husband Jacob, and new daughter Amelia, were set to go home. The now mom of two felt feverish but figured it was “just part of her recovery.” She was given ibuprofen by a nurse and discharged. She continued to feel unwell. Krystina told KENS5: "I started experiencing stomach issues. I was vomiting.”
'I just started slowly fading out.'
She went to the emergency room and was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. "I just remember I couldn’t breathe anymore and I couldn’t see anymore and I just started slowly fading out," Krystina told ABC News, reported Good Morning America.
"My husband, I could just hear him saying, 'Please come back to us, please, your babies need you. I need you. I need you to be here and help me with our babies,' and that's the last thing I remember."
Time was not on their side.
At the hospital, medical staff discovered she was in septic shock, the most dangerous stage in sepsis. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to infection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sepsis is the second leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths. Between 2016 and 2018 infection or sepsis caused 13.9% of pregnancy-related deaths in the US. Per MedlinePlus, "without quick treatment, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death."
Krystina had to undergo life-saving treatments.
Her husband explained to GMA that the sepsis began to affect her heart, lungs, and kidneys. She was sedated for two weeks and put on dialysis to help her kidneys, as well as put on an ECMO machine. According to the Mayo Clinic, ECMO is when: "blood is pumped outside of your body to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back to tissues in the body. Blood flows from the right side of the heart to the membrane oxygenator in the heart-lung machine, and then is rewarmed and sent back to the body."
Jacob said he and his in-laws would take turns sitting by her side in the ICU and that the support of friends and family was pivotal at this time, and helped provide a steady stream of care for their toddler and infant.
Her life will never be the same.
Krystina’s health improved slowly, and her breathing tube came out in the middle of November. Jacob recalled her asking what happened and questioning, “Did I almost die?'" Although she was awake, there were more hurdles to come.
Her hands and feet were blackened as if by frostbite, but it was from the damage sustained during her life-saving treatments. Then doctors told her amputation would be necessary.
"I was just breaking down and being absolutely crushed that that's where we were at, … just being sad that my life would no longer be the same," she told GMA.
She endured two surgeries to amputate her arms below the elbow and her legs below the knee, followed by multiple skin grafts to repair her damaged skin.
Her two children, baby Amelia and 2-year-old Owen, were her motivation to keep going through the surgeries.
“They were my No. 1 motivation, hands down," Krystina told GMA.
She transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann in January to learn how to live in her double-amputee body and regain her strength. She put her all into her therapies and progressed quickly.
"I would self-talk to myself, like, 'Come on. You've got this. Just get this,' so I would push a little. I even surprised myself some of the time," she explained.
Over 100 days after being hospitalized, Krystina got to go home to her husband and her children. She continues to work on getting stronger and will start outpatient rehab soon to focus on greater strength and independence.
*Disclaimer: The advice on CafeMom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
